/ kweɪl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
[ C , U ] ( pl. quails or quail ) a small brown bird, whose meat and eggs are used for food; the meat of this bird
■ verb
[ v ] quail (at / before sb/sth) ( literary ) to feel frightened or to show that you are frightened
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WORD ORIGIN
noun Middle English : from Old French quaille , from medieval Latin coacula (probably imitative of its call).
verb late Middle English (in the sense waste away, come to nothing ): of unknown origin.